Step-ladder.



iltittl' forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,9l6, dated .eregast 28, 1900. iipplieetion iiled January 1,1, 1900. Serial ile. 1,633. "No model-l To f'zZZ affront itfmrtg/ concern:

lie it known that i, FRANK li. CORDUAN, a citizen oi the United States, residing at No. 390 Fifth street, borough of Brooklyn, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Stepiiadders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to step-ladders in general, and more especially to those used by mechanics and others for reaching places requiring an ascent to the top stepor platform et the ladder.

The objects of the present im provemeut are to construct and connect suitable means for affording a safeguard when any one goes near the top or" the ladder and also to hold or bring needed articles near at hand during the time of performing work on the ladder.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out or indicated in and by the claims.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a step-ladder provided with the improvement constructed in what l deem the preferable form, the hand1'ails and tray or receptacle being raised the distance of one step above the 'rop of the ladder, but capable of elevation to the distance of three steps. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the tray secured, as shown in Fig. 1, to the topof the hand-rails. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the top stepor platform,l as it is sometimes called, with the hand-rails in cross-section, indicated by lines 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of one of the side pieces and hand-rail looking downwardly from the line 4 et of Fig. l. Fig. 5 shows a modified form of construction, in which a slotted or slitted curved metallic strip is attached to the side piece for receiving the pin which sustains the hand-rails in an elevated position.

in the drawings, A A represent the two side pieces of the ladder, a the steps thereof, l; the top step or platform, which is secured on the cleats c at the upper end of the side pieces. The brace-frame shown consists of sides i3 i3, dowels d, and cross-braces l., tite upper dowel being passed through the cleats c and sides A 13, so as to secure the braccframe to the ladder and also act as a hinge on which it can swing tothe limit of the jointed hracebars f, as showin in Fig. l. These parte 5 5 are common to some of the forms of step-lad der now in use and the details thereof may be varied in the practical construction.

l prefer to construct the side pieces A A with a slot y, proceeding downwardly from 6o an enlarged opening h, through which passes the head and washer 'i of a guiding and supporting pin j, secured to hand-rails C C alongside the side pieces A A. 'As shown, these liaudi'ails pass upwardly through slots k in 65 the platform Z1 and are secured by an glo-ironslto the betteln of a tray or receptacle D for tools or other needed articles, and knobs fm. may be secured io them at or near their lower end. Recediug from the slot g are recesses 7o '12., which receive the pin and support the hand-rails at a given height or at one of several points on the ladder'. The piuyl is brought into the recesses by a lateral movement of the handmade. This construction and arrange- 7 5 ment of the parts can be easily provided for in the manufacture of the ladder; but as one purpose of the improvement is to arrange, guide, and support in a simple and eiective manner one or two movable hand-rails, which Se will serve to remove asource of danger when going to the top of the ladder, and, if desired, support a receptacle for tools, dsc, it is evident that the guiding may be accomplished in several ways and that the arrangement of 85 the pin and the recess in which it rests may be varied, while securing the results and advantages for which the improvement is designed.

Fig. 5 shows a modification in which a tu- 9c bular or curved strip of metal E is used for the purpose of retaining the head or washer of a supporting-pin made to slide in the slot or slito and rest at different points in the re cessesp, so as to retain and support the handg5 lails. The metallic strip E can be fixed to the side of a ladder already constructed, and it iselso adapted for use on new ladders, if so desired.

'ie description given as to the structure me and details shoi'vn bythe drawings is sufficient to enable others to makea practical applieation or use of the invention and to show its capability of modification.

It may be found desirable ,for the sake of com pactness or other practical reasons to so arrange and construct the parts as to ca use the hand-rails to move up and down on the inside of the side pieces instead of the outside, as shown, in which event the necessary changes of construction can readily be made. So, too, it is immaterial Whether the supp0rting-pins be attached to the hand-rails, as shown, or to the side pieces, or to s'or'ne att-achment to the ladder. Other modifications may occur in practically constructing the ladder.

Having thus described my invention', what I claim as new, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, is-

l. A step-ladder having a suitably-guided i movable hand-rail alongside each of the main side pieces thereof anda receptacle secured essere:

to the upper end of said rails, the side pieces and adjacenthand-rails being provided, ene

of each with a pin and the .others with re-v 25 cesses for receiving such pins,. whereby said hand-rails and receptacle may be elevated and supported at a given height by bringing the pins by a. lateral movement into the re- A CQSSGS.

by a lateral movement into a recess therefor. `4o

FRANK Il. CORDAN.

Wit nesses:

HENRY T. BRENNAN, II. T. BANKING. 

